Eight Chinese warplanes crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line and approached close to the island's contiguous zone that is 24 nautical miles (44 km) off its coast on Saturday, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said, in a further rise in tensions.
China's air force over the past three years has routinely flown into the air space around Taiwan. Since August it has regularly sent jets across the strait's median line, which had previously served as an unofficial barrier.
Beijing claims democratically governed Taiwan as China's territory. Taiwan's government rejects the claims and says only the island's people can decide their future.